Apparatus for loosening frozen coal in hopper cars

Abstract

Frozen lumps of coal in conventional hopper cars are loosened by lowering an assembly of vertically oriented probe elements into the car while simultaneously vibrating the assembly. The vibratory structure is mounted on a gantry arrangement which also supports a supplemental probe arrangement utilizing impact forces to loosen coal in hopper cars having interiors different from those of the cars operated on by the vibratory arrangement.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for loosening a frozen mass of coal in railway hopper cars, comprising: a gantry adapted to span said cars;   hoist means supported by said gantry;   a framework operatively joined to said hoist means and vertically movable in response to operation of the hoist means;   guide means joined to said gantry and operatively related to the framework to control vertical movement of the framework to a defined path, said guide means including vertically oriented tracks joined to the gantry through cushioning means and roller means connected to the framework and adapted to engage the tracks;   a plurality of probes extending downwardly from said framework, said probes terminating in ends located at different levels conforming to the interior contour of the car being operated upon; and   shaker means supported by said framework and operative to impart vibratory movement to said probes as the framework is lowered by the hoist means to cause the probes to engage the frozen mass, said shaker means including a pair of shakers supported at opposite ends of the framework and arranged to impart said vibratory movement in a direction generally longitudinally of the car spanned by the gantry.   
     
     
       2. Apparatus for loosening a frozen mass of coal in railway hopper cars, comprising: a gantry adapted to span said cars;   hoist means supported by said gantry, said hoist means including a pair of hoists joined to opposite ends of a generally horizontally extending plate member;   a framework operatively joined to the hoist means by a connecting link pivotally connected at one of its ends to said plate member at a location intermediate the ends of the member, and pivotally connected at its other end to the framework, said framework being vertically movable in response to operation of the hoist means;   a plurality of probes extending downwardly from said framework; and   shaker means supported by said framework and operative to impart vibratory movement to said probes as the framework is lowered by the hoist means to cause the probes to engage the frozen mass.   
     
     
       3. Apparatus for loosening a frozen mass of coal in railway hopper cars, comprising: a gantry adapted to span said cars;   hoist means supported by said gantry;   a framework operatively joined to said hoist means and vertically movable in response to operation of the hoist means;   a plurality of probes extending downwardly from said framework;   shaker means supported by said framework and operative to impart vibratory movement to said probes as the framework is lowered by the hoist means to cause the probes to engage the frozen mass;   carriage means supported by said gantry at a distance horizontally spaced from said hoist means and framework, said carriage means being adapted to move longitudinally with respect to a car spanned by said gantry;   additional frame means mounted on said carriage;   a plurality of additional spaced probes supported for vertical movement by the additional frame means; and   means for reciprocating the additional spaced probes to impact said probes on the frozen mass contained in said car.   
     
     
       4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said reciprocating means are air rams.